Older gentleman sits on sofa looking at laptop showing health care provider

The  Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shared a  fact sheet  yesterday, announcing new broadened access to Medicare telehealth services on a temporary basis in response to the  COVID-19, or Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019, Pandemic.  

Highlights in the Announcement
  • Under this new waiver, Medicare can pay for office, hospital, and other visits furnished via telehealth across the country and including in patient's places of residence starting March 6, 2020.  
  • There are three main types of virtual services physicians and other professionals can provide to Medicare beneficiaries summarized in this fact sheet: Medicare telehealth visits, virtual check-ins and e-visits.
  • Effective immediately, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will exercise enforcement discretion and waive penalties for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violations against health care providers that serve patients in good faith through everyday communications technologies, such as FaceTime or Skype, during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency.
Additional Resources
This material was prepared by the Superior Health Quality Alliance, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The materials do not necessarily reflect CMS policy. 12SOW-MI/MN/WI-CC-20-25 031820
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